Swimming paddle



Oct. 22, 1957 R. P. COCHRAN syvmmmc PADDLE Filed Aug. 27, 1954 IN VTENTORQ Z ,8 1 0,138 Patented Oct. 22, 1 957 SWIMIVIING PADDLE Raymond P. Cochran, Etowah, Tenn. Application August 27, 1954, Serial No. 452,654

1 Claim. (Cl. 9-21) This invention relates to a swimmers accessory, and more particularly to a swimming paddle.

The object of the invention is to provide a swimming paddle which is adapted to be detachably connected to a swimmers hand whereby the person will be able to swim with greater efliciency.

Another object of the invention is to provide a swimming paddle for attachment to a swimmers hand whereby the fingers are free for grasping any object desired while the paddle is on the hand, and wherein the hands are in the natural position for swimming.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a swimming paddle which is constructed so that the hands are left in a natural position so that the paddle facilitates the training of inexperienced persons to swim and wherein the hands are free to grasp any article while the paddle is thereon and wherein when the paddles are being used, the user can tread water, swim under water, and also dive without any interference, the paddles serving to increase the efiective area around the hands since the swimmer can propel the body in the act of swimming beyond that of the human hand.

A further object of the invention is to provide a swimming paddle which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure l is a front elevational View showing the paddle attached to a hand.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view showing the paddle in use.

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the paddle showing straps having snap fasteners thereon instead of the buckles.

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the paddle with the paddle removed from the hand and with the straps removed.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral designates the body of the paddle which can be made of any suitable material such as plastic, and the body 10 has its central portion 11 dished out so that the body 10 has a concave or convexshape. The outer periphery of the body 10 is indicated by the numeral 14, and the outer periphery is of circular formation.

The body 10 is further provided with a cutout 15 which extends inwardly from the outer edge 14, and the cutout 15 defines a space that provides clearance for a portion of the persons hand when the paddle is attached to the hand as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The body is further provided with a pair of spaced apart slots 16, and a flexible strap 17 extends through the slots 16 and engages the fingers 19 of the hand 12.

2 A buckle 18 may be provided for maintaining the strap 17 in engagement with the fingers.

There is further provided a second pair of slots 21 which are spaced from the first pair of slots 16, and a second strap 20 which also may be made of flexible material such as'leather, extends through the pair of slots 21. The strap 20 extends across the palm 24 of the hand 12, and the strap 20 is provided with an enlarged portion 22 that has an opening 23 therein for the projection therethrough of the thumb 25 of the hand. A buckle 26 can be used for maintaining the strap 20 in its proper position on the hand.

Referring to Figure 3 of the drawings there is shown a slightly modified arrangement wherein a pair of straps 27 and 28 are adapted to be used in lieu of the straps 17 and 20. The strap 27 may be retained in place by means of a snap fastener 29, while the other strap 28 may have a similar snap fastener 30.

The surface of the body 10 which is contiguous to the back of the users hand may be provided with a recessed portion 31 that includes a plurality of indentations 32 that are adapted to comfortably and snugly receive the knuckles of the hand so as to insure a snug fit.

From the foregoing it is apparent that there has been provided a swimmers paddle which can be readily attached to a persons hand so as to permit the person to swim with greater efficiency and wherein learners can be aided while learning to swim. arranged as shown in the drawings so that the hand is between a portion of the straps 17 and 20 and wherein the thumb 25 extends through the opening 23 in the enlarged portion 22 of the strap 20. Thus, the fingers are free to move so that the fingers can grip any desired object or article while the paddle is thereon. The cutout 15 provides clearance for the back of the hand and the indentations 32 receive the projecting knuckles or bones of the'hand. The buckles 18 and 26 can be adjusted so that the device will fit hands of different sizes or shapes, and instead of using the buckles 18 and 26, the snap fasteners 29 and 30 can be utilized. The body 10 is of a larger size than the hand as shown in Figure 1.

I claim:

In a swimming paddle, a concave body having its central portion dished out and its outer periphery shaped as a circle, the dished central portion of said body being larger than the users hand and adapted to bear against the back of the users hand so that the palm of the hand faces outwardly and is exposed, there being a trapezoidal shaped cutout in said body extending inwardly from the outer edge thereof to provide clearance for the hand whereby wrist motion will not be impaired, said body having a first pair of spaced parallel slots therein, there being a second pair of spaced apart parallel slots in said body, said second slots being arranged adjacent said cutout, said slots being spaced inwardly from the outer edge of said body, said first slots being arranged in alignment with said second slots, a first strap extending through said first pair of slots for engagement with the fingers of the hand whereby the fingers will be free to move, a second strap extending through said second pair of slots and extending across the palm of the hand, said first and second straps being arranged in spaced parallel relation with respect to each other, said second strap including an enlarged portion provided with a circular opening for the projection therethrough of the thumb of the users hand, and fastening means for retaining the straps in their proper position on the hand, the users hand adapted to be inserted or removed without unfastening the fastening means, there being a recessed portion having a plurality of spaced apart indentations in said body for receiving In use the parts can be 1 1 1 the knuckles of the hand, saidindentations being inter- 1,540,368 posed between said first and second pairs of slots, said 1,621,693 indentations being of non-uniform sizes. 2,159,972 Y 2,290,943 References Cited in the file of-this patent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 97 264 183,045 Dunlop 10a. 10. 1876 1621767 1,066,696 Biker July 8, 1913 Samuels June 2, 1925 T heobold Mar. 22,1927 Larson May 30, 1939 Conley July 28, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Dec. 16, 1922 Switzerland July 15, 1933 

